Muscle ceramide content in man is higher in type I than type II fibers and not influenced by glycogen content

Abstract

Human muscle is studied during glycogen depletion and repletion to understand the influence of exercise and muscle glycogen on total ceramide content. In addition, fiber-type-specific ceramide storage is investigated. Ten healthy males (26.4 +/- 0.9 years, BMI 24.4 +/- 0.7 kg m(-2) and VO2max 57 +/- 2 mL O2 min(-1) kg(-1)) participated in the study. On the first day, one leg was glycogen-depleted (DL) by exhaustive intermittent exercise followed by low carbohydrate diet. Next day, in the overnight fasted condition, muscle biopsies were excised from vastus lateralis before and after exhaustive exercise from both DL and control leg (CL). Muscle glycogen was analyzed biochemically and total muscle ceramide content by 2D quantitative lipidomic approach. Furthermore, fiber-type ceramide content was determined by fluorescence immunohistochemistry. Basal muscle glycogen was decreased (P < 0.05) with 50 +/- 6% in DL versus CL. After exhaustive exercise, muscle glycogen was similar in CL and DL 139 +/- 38 and 110 +/- 31 mmol kg(-1), respectively. Total muscle ceramide 58 +/- 1 pmol mg(-1) was not influenced by glycogen or exercise. Ceramide content was consistently higher (P < 0.001) in type I than in type II muscle fibers. In conclusion, human skeletal muscle, ceramide content is higher in type I than in type II. Despite rather large changes in muscle glycogen induced by prior depletion, exercise to exhaustion and repletion, total muscle ceramide concentration remained unchanged.

Training Does Not Alter Muscle Ceramide and Diacylglycerol in Offsprings of Type 2 Diabetic Patients Despite Improved Insulin Sensitivity

“…Evidently, the available data on the effect of training on muscle bioactive lipid content are very inconsistent and an explanation for this is not readily apparent. We have previously demonstrated that ceramide content was higher in type I than type II muscle fibers in man [ 41 , 42 ] and therefore fiber type distribution, which often varies between lean and obese [ 28 , 43 ] and which in vastus lateralis demonstrate rather large heterogeneity [ 44 ], may explain some of this inconsistency. The total content of ceramide and DAG does not decrease significantly in response to endurance training; however, it could also be speculated that small nonsignificant changes may be biologically relevant.…”

Muscle wasting in collagen-induced arthritis and disuse atrophy

“…Most of the fibers richer in glycogen contain the type 2 myosin heavy chain, 28 but some type 1 fibers may also be in this group. 29 Although this subject is rarely studied, Castillero et al 22 described a reduction in type 1 and type 2 myofibers in a rat model of adjuvant-induced arthritis, with a higher decrease in the fast twitch muscle fibers. Fink et al 30 described fiber type 2 atrophy in patients with osteoarthritis who submitted to knee prosthesis surgery.…”

Skeletal muscle ceramides and relationship with insulin sensitivity after 2 weeks of simulated sedentary behaviour and recovery in healthy older adults

“…All antibody dilutions and washes were conducted with immunobuffer (50 m m glycine, 0.25% BSA, 0.03% saponin and 0.05% sodium azide in PBS) as reported in Nordby et al . (). Slides were mounted with fluorescence mounting media (H‐4000; Vector Laboratories) and dried before imaging.…”